Heat Networks and the Governance of Infrastructure Innovation

Institution: University of Manchester

Dept/School/Faculty: EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Power Networks

PhD Supervisor: Dr A Karvonen

Application Deadline: Applications accepted all year round

Funding Availability: Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

Student background required: 

Planning, Geography, Business, Urban Studies, Environmental Studies, Innovation Studies 

Benefit to / Impact on Industry: 
This project will provide insights on the implications of introducing a new energy infrastructure service in the UK. It will help the private and public sectors understand how different energy networks interrelate and how they can be most effectively combined to reduce carbon footprints without diminishing infrastructure services. 

What novelty will the student base their PhD on? 
The research will involve a sociotechnical approach that includes qualitative and spatial methods to understand the social, political, and geographic implications of infrastructure change. It will contribute to the social studies of technology and innovation. 

Project overview: 
The UK Government is promoting distributed heat provision (district heat and combined heat & power) to realise significant carbon savings in the coming decades. Distributed heat provision provides opportunities for the efficient use of energy resources and allows for the adoption of renewable energy generation technologies. To date, the UK has been slow to adopt heat infrastructure networks due to political and financial barriers. However, multiple pilot projects have emerged in the last few years to demonstrate the efficacy of heat networks and the associated carbon savings. This project will study the rollout of distributed heat provision in the UK to understand its implications on other energy networks including gas, electricity, and renewable energy sources. The research will build upon existing studies on the social and political implications of infrastructure innovation to understand how distributed heat provision influences the design, planning, economics, and carbon savings of energy provision. 

Outline Proposed Project Plan: 
Year 1: Taught courses and preparatory study 
Year 2: Literature Review 
Year 3: Data collection and analysis 
Year 4: Writing of thesis 

Funding Notes:

This project is funded by EPSRC, the University of Manchester and our Industry partners. Funding is available to UK candidates. EU candidates are also eligible if they have been studying or working continuously in the UK for three or more years (prior to the start date of the programme). The successful candidates will have their fees paid in full and will receive an enhanced maintenance stipend.

See here for information on how to apply and entry requirements: www.power-networks-cdt.manchester.ac.uk/study/projects-apply